Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1887-11-19
THE POSTOFFICE.
Inadequate Accommoda-
lions for the Service.
BLOCKADE OF NEWSPAPERS.
A More Liberal Policy Advisable
What the Clerks Have
to Complain of.

A HERALD reporter had short chat
yesterday with one of the Postoffice
officials regarding the condition of
affairs in that department and the
manner in which the working of it is
conducted.
'EIn spite Of the two assistants re-
Gently granted to strengthen the force,
we are quite unable to cope with the
amount Of work to be done, and then
again the accommodations are mad
equate to the demands upon Them"
said the official. 1--WE are cooped up
in our present quarters and there is a
perfect blockade regarding the hand
ling of matter. Take the paper post
for instance; at the present time there
are between six and ten sacks of papers
awaiting distribution, but which will
probably never reach their destination.
Why? Well, in the first place we can
not handle them without a supreme
effort, and if we could We have no
place to put them. The boxes are
full and we have no racks at all in
which to sort them. The trouble is
that they are constantly accumu-
lating, so you can imagine what the re-
suit is likely to be-"
GLOW are the personal accommo-
dations of the office-meaning, of
course, those that absolutely affect the
employees comfort?"
every bad. For time we had no
water supply at all in the Office. The
reason? Well, the Washington de-
partment refused to honor the water
bills, and consequently the service
was cut off. And, after all,
the bill was only a paltry So
per month. Do you know that this
office yields larger revenue in pro-
portion to it's size than any other in
the United States? You see there is
an enormous floating population here,
and that always induces a big money
order business, from which, as you
are doubtless aware, there is large
profit. Then the rent, as every one
knows, is only 81 year, practically
nothing; and in spite of all these ad-
vantages to the department we are
denied the privileges customary i'll
every other office in the Union. Last
year this postofice yielded a net profit
of 6O,OOO."
at is not very easy place to work
in, l should imagine?"
at is constant drive from morn
ing to night, both mentally al ! phys
ically. Take every branch of The SER
vice-the mailing, stamping, dstrib-
uting, and others-the clerks have to
keep their mind continually set on
what they are doing, besides working
manually quite as hard as an ordinary
laborer. And if mistake is made
people talk about the carelessness and
unftness Of the employees-as sta
tistical fact there is only about one
mistake made for every $50
pieces of mail matter hand
led. And what does postal
clerk receive in return for all this
from $50 to $75 per month for nine
hours work day, six days "a week and
three or four hours on Sunday. No
sir, as you say, Government service
in our capacity is scarcely worth going
out of ones way to obtain. Good day,
Call round again and l will give you
one or two anecdotes connected with
the Postoffice that may prove interest
ing to the readers of the HERALD.
WHAT PREUss SAYS.
Postmaster Preuss, when called
upon relative to the matter, said that
on Sunday last he had tele-
graphed to Washington asking for
more help. In the telegram he
represented that it was absolutely nee
essary that there should be an addi-
ton to the force, owing to the recent
and unexpected growth Of the mails.
In reply to this telegram, he re-
ceived one saying that special inves-
tigation of the Office would be made
and that instructions had been for
warded. The instructions had not
been received, and the help needed
was not forthcoming.
"What the office needs is eight more
clerks and twelve or thirteen more
carriers. If we had these at once
we could give much better service.
This investigation will probably result
in the department allowing us one OF
two more clerks and one or two more
carriers. We don't want help to come
along in driblets like this, but we alb,
solutely need the whole additions
help at once"
eff the department would allow vi
to spend but so per cent of the profits
made at this postoffice, would guar
antee to give the people the best ser
vice in the State"
Mr.. Preuss was hopeful that a re
consideration of his demand nigh
meet with more favorable reply, bu
unless it does, he thinks that natter
will be very much mixed before long
DETTnT NEC TT IDEDWAV